Promotions keep two Eagles from flying south

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno, seen here during the Michigan… (Rob Christy, US PRESSWIRE )

December 22, 2010|By Nick Fierro, OF THE MORNING CALL

PHILADELPHIA — — Timing truly is everything for the Eagles' most recent roster additions, both of whom were about to be plucked off their practice squad by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday.

But injuries to safety Nate Allen and defensive tackle Mike Patterson made it easy for the Eagles to beat the Bucs to the punch. They quickly reached out to Jamar Wall to replace Allen, who was placed on injured reserve, and Jeff Owens to possibly move into the defensive tackle rotation if Patterson's sore knee keeps him out for a while. Patterson didn't practice Wednesday.

The Eagles cut tight end Garrett Mills to make room on the roster for Owens, who like Wall was set to accept an offer from Tampa Bay before the Eagles matched it and spared him the hassle of moving.

"I didn't need to go," Owens said. "They showed how much they liked me if they were willing to match what Tampa did."

Owens and Wall almost certainly will be suited and playing this Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings, who could be without quarterback Brett Favre (concussion) and top running back Adrian Peterson (thigh) on the frozen tundra of Lincoln Financial Field.

Wall figures to be playing only on special teams but has to be prepared for anything, the way this season has gone with injuries to the secondary. Furthermore, he would not have been signed had he not had at least a basic grip of the defense, even though he' spent the entire season running with scout teams.

"We do evaluate them in practice, and I tell them that we do," Reid admitted. "Both [general manager] Howie [Roseman] and I make sure that we keep a close eye on that and the progress they make. And then you give them little coaching points as you go.

"Now the position coaches actually work with them, either before or after practice or in between sets, and they get a little individual work for them on the things that we do. So the coaches know, and so do the players, that at any time they can be asked to come up. They better know what they're doing. That's our responsibilities as teachers and coaches, is to make sure that they know, in case they have an opportunity to be moved up and play, they're not just there as glorified blocking dummies."

"He says that all the time," Wall added. "And it's true. ... I've been in every meeting, so I'm pretty much up to par. And they'll ask me questions here to make sure I do some things."

Defensive end Derrick Burgess, another newcomer, is ready too. Of course, he was here before, from 2001 through 2004. Signed last week, he wasn't activated for last Sunday's 38-31 win over the New York Giants. He could be this week, as defensive coordinator Sean McDermott looks to tweak a pass rush that has been limited to eight sacks over the last five games.

At only 245 pounds, Burgess says he's around 20 pounds under his playing weight from the first time he was here, not that it matters now.

"That was five years ago," he said. "I was what, 22? I've been at this weight for the last three years."

What Burgess mostly brings to the table, he claimed, is "an attitude."

Then there's new starting safety Kurt Coleman, who's stepping in for Allen, and, well, you get the idea of the amount of adjustments that have been made just since this season began.

Coleman at least has some starting experience from when Allen missed a game last month.

"The more gametime experience you get, the more comfortable you feel, the better you're going to be," he said. "I have a start under my belt. It's not a whole season, but I have been in every game. I'm real comfortable with the situation they're putting me in, so it's just about playing in the scheme.

"As far as mentally, you have to prepare the same. You have to do all the film study and everything. As far as the field work and preparation, you get a lot more reps. I think those are crucial going into the game especially if you know you're going to start, you know what you're going to see instead of being thrown out there and it's kind of all foreign.

Similarly, there is a comfort factor for Wall, who admitted he stayed here because of it, instead of heading for Tampa, which likely would have used him more as a cornerback.

Alas, not everything went the Eagles' way. They had hoped to be able to bring Mills back to their practice squad on Wednesday, but the Cincinnati Bengals signed him. So the Eagles re-signed tight end Cornelius Ingram instead. Ingram and safety Jamar Adams, who also was on the Eagles' practice squad earlier this season, filled the spots vacated by Wall and Owens.